The next time you’re in Maryland —
hopefully enjoying a blue crab feast with friends — here’s a
conversation starter: To which region of the country does Maryland
belong? During the Civil War, Maryland, a slave-holding state, lay below
the Mason-Dixon Line but chose to remain with the Union. So is it
Southern or Northern? Then, consider that Washington, D.C., a wholly
distinct commonwealth tucked within Maryland’s borders, is considered
Mid-Atlantic, shouldn’t Maryland be Mid-Atlantic too?
Consensus or no, you and your friends
should all agree that Maryland’s remarkable geography is more than just
lines on a map. From its swamps on the Chesapeake Bay to the beaches at
the Atlantic Coast; from its vast tracts of farmland to its Appalachian
Mountain peaks; from serene riverbanks to the city sidewalks of
Baltimore (population: 6 million), Maryland has been called “America in
Miniature” for all the variation within the US’s seventh-smallest state.
There is nothing small about the
hearts of the Maryland quilt folks we met, however. We visited the
historic Dentzel Carousel in Glen Echo Park with Nisha Bouri and Kim
Martucci, the owners of Brimfield Awakening, a quilting store built on
their friendship. We spent time on the Eastern shore with Victoria
McConnell, president of the Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore, and
popped into a UFO meeting with its members. And most readers will be
familiar with Baltimore Album quilts, whose out-sized legacy is
stewarded by the Baltimore Appliqué Society. (Quilty tip: Make sure to
get a look at Maryland’s state flag, which we think looks a lot like
patchwork.)
Once you take a trip with us through
beautiful Maryland, we think you’ll understand why three different
regions of America want to call it their own.
180 pages (16 extra pages!), offset printed and perfect bound, full color on uncoated paper. Printed in the USA.
